This school year, Mississippi State University reached record enrollment for the fall 2016 semester, surpassing the previous record set in fall of 2015. 
  According to John Dickerson, assistant vice president of enrollment services, fall 2016 enrollment is exactly 21,622 students compared to 20,873 students for the previous fall semester—an increase of almost 800 students.
   MSU also welcomed the largest freshman class for the second year in a row with an increase in the average high school grade point average and the average ACT score, which is now a 24. 
 Student Association President Roxanne Raven said she thinks this will help MSU’s global research community improve and grow.
   “The more bright minds that we can attract, the better impact our university can make in the world around us,” Raven said. 
     Enrollment rates have not just increased at the Starkville campus, but the Meridian campus and the new Gulf Coast campus as well. 
    Along with the growth at the additional campus locations, specific departments and colleges at the university have also experienced increased enrollment rates. 
 The Bagley College of Engineering now has over 4,000 students, up 8.6 percent from the previous year. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is also up more than 8 percent, now educating nearly 2,400 students. 
    Other enrollment numbers include more than 5,000 students in the College of Arts and Sciences; MSU’s largest department. 
  Although the continuous growth in enrollment is a benefit, it does not come without great costs. 
   “We have to make sure that our infrastructures, such as classrooms, parking and residence halls, grow alongside the increase in enrollment, which can be difficult to manage and becomes expensive,” Raven said. 
  Current students, although very accepting of the record-breaking enrollment, are experiencing difficulty with the current situations first hand. 
 Senior communication major, Lanecha Turner, had mixed feelings about the subject. 
    “It’s wonderful that so many students love Mississippi State enough to attend, but since enrollment is so high there is definitely a fallback to overcrowding, such as limited parking,” Turner said. 
 
 Most students agree that because it is anticipated for the university to continue growing, we need to expand our resources as well.
    “I love this school, but as we grow I hope that we can seriously provide the necessary resources for all students who attend,” a sophomore business management major, Michaela Adams said. 
     The growth of MSU is not expected to come to a stand-still any time soon, with strong anticipation that enrollment numbers will continue to rise in the next few years.
   Dickerson gave credit to all members of the MSU community when referring to enrollment growth. 
“The enrollment growth is attributed to the great team effort of all students, faculty, staff, administration and alumni working together to promote the university and the outstanding education students receive here,” Dickerson said. 
Raven said as the university continues to grow as expected, she hopes the state of Mississippi will continue to do its share in assisting the issues that come along with the growth. 
  “Mississippi has one of the lowest rates of college-educated citizens in the country, and Mississippi State University is doing its part to change that statistic, which is something to be proud of,” Raven said.